LOST
by Avenger of the fallen
Summary: So, I don't know about everyone else, but I've got a feeling that if the Hunters were using the mark of another God/Goddess, there'd be hell to pay. Enjoy!


**CHAPTER 1: VISITORS**

* * *

_T__here is a saying by Friedrich Nietzsche that I can relate to personally: "Amor Fati". Which, literately translated, means "Love Your Fate"._

_I don't know,__ nor do I care to know if anyone ever loves their fate. For me, my fate is my life and I'm taking it one day at a time._

_ - Novidia_

* * *

I sit perched precariously on the roof of the ancient castle-like fortress watching the fight below as it drags on for several more minutes. Not an hour ago, armed men attacked the place without warning and without cause outside the fact that it was what they were told to do. Beside me, wearing his usual black pants, long-sleeved black shirt and black combat boots is my best friend.

His hand rested on the hilt of his favored weapon - a halbred designed specifically for him with a large double-edged blade coated in titanium. A gust of wind blows his platnum hair from his face revealing the intense look in his emerald eyes as he, too, watches the fight. My own weapon is on the roof behind me. Mine is a spear-like halbed also with a titanium coated blade. He glances over at me and sighs.

"Hey, the invaders are leaving." He states simply. I look down and sure enough, the men that had come looking for a fight were leaving with their tails between their legs, so-to-speak. We watch them closely, waiting for a sigh of who we are supposed to be helping since our "mother" gave us no specifics.

As we watch, a man falls to his knees while another reaches out to help him. In that moment, a single symbol becomes visible and my temper rises significantly. My friend rests his hand on the spot over his heart and my own hand caresses my lower back. Each place holds a symbol akin to, but not exactly like that of the retreating men.

"Bastards! They've perverted the sign of our Goddess to fit their needs."

I sigh at his words. "Rest assured, Triky, there's nothing I'd like more than to have their heads on a platter."

"I guess now we are to assist those who live in this castle?" There he goes again, putting me in the leader position**.** Right where I am supposed to, but don't want to be.

"Too late to join the fray now." A male voice, a gust of warm air.

"Damn, Sabin, warn us that there are others waiting next time." Another voice.

I look at my bestie and grin. "Oops."

"'Oops'?" He replies sarcastically. "Try 'we're fucked'."

"'By the Light of Eterna and Etheral, our Goddess and God, we come in peace'?" I say with a sad smile. We are fucked and therein lies the issue.

His head falls into his upturned hands, fair hair falling in waves of silver over his shoulders, and sighs heavily. "Face it, these guys are too good for us. We're no match for them."

The crunch of booted feet on the gravelled rooftop catches my attention. We turn, facing them with our backs to each other. "Uh, hiya."

"Who are you?"

I point to the still retreating backs of the other men. "Not with them."

"That's not what we asked." The first man that spoke - I believe they called him Sabin - is inching closer and closer.

I sigh, resigning myself to the inevitable capture that I know is coming. "No matter what we say, I already know what you're thinking of doing with us until further notice." I pick up my halbred and rise to my feet. "Here."

I toss it effortlessly and a tall man with electric blue hair and kohl outlined eyes catches it just as easily dispite the fact that it took three very strong human men to lift it a few years ago. I shiver as my mother's voice, my Goddess's voice, echoes in my head.

"Amor fati." We say nothing that would give her away to them. Silently, we let them lead us through the main hall of the huge castle. We have nothing to say to them right yet. Not until we know and understand what we're dealing with.

_We going to let them do the questioning? _(Gods I love telepathy.) Triky's voice in my head reminds me that we're still connected.

I shrug mentally. _Is there any other way? We need their trust and I'm... Curious._

_ About the other group we saw? _M'kay, he's getting on my nerves.

_ Among other things, yeah._

_ Conspira-_

_ Don't even go there! _At this point, I really don't care if he's my conjoined twin, I really, _really _want to strangle him. _There's no conspiracy, so stop with it, okay?_

_ Temper, temper. Anger management much?_

_ You need to lay off the si-fi flicks. _I can almost hear his shocked responce, but I block him so I can focus on our surroundings.

Sabin guides us down into the bowles of the castle and none-too-gently shoves us into a seven by ten cell. "You are gunna stay in here until we figure out what to do with you."

"That's fine." Triky is quick to say as he lounges on a stone bench. I wrap my fingers around the cold metal of the bars.

"Hey, your name's Sabin, right?" Our jailer turns around just as he reaches the stairs. "You might want to send a referee if you don't want me to kill him."

The look on his face is too comical as I cross my arms over my chest and tap my foot on the floor. "Aren't you both on the same side?"

"Yeah, but that don't mean squat if he successfully pisses me off now, does it?" I reply tartly. Shooting a venom-filled stare at Triky, I triumphantly make him whimper in fear. "Which I can tell you he's been doing a lot of lately. Look, I don't know what or who you really are or who those other men were-"

He cuts me off with a curt "Hunters".

"Huh?"

"Those other guys were Hunters." Sabin gives me an incredulous look that tells me that _he_ believes I'm lying. "I'll be back with the others in a minute. _Try _not to kill each other while I'm gone."

* * *

Two hours later, Gideon sits next to the dungeon door and sighed. "This is so much _fun_!" He complaines, running a hand through his blue hair. At least he gets to sit with Torin and take a good look at the weapons the young boy and girl were carrying.

"I hear ya, Gid." Torin states as he takes weight and measure of the two halbreds. "Well, well. Looks like they were made of the same material that the God-chains we own are made from. The blades are coated generously in titanium and they're sharp enough to lop off a head without much mess."

I listen from my little corner of the cell as they correctly determine our weapons' composition. "Careful not to cut yourself, the blade is also covered in a deadly poison." I lazily call out as I wait for my best friend to awaken. True to my word, I'd gotten pissed enough to literately give Triky a T.K.O. So he was now sprawled on the stone floor with an egg-sized bump on his head.

The man named Lucien steps up to the bars and gave me a shiver-worthy stare. "What happened to your friend?"

"I warned Sabin not to leave us alone, but he didn't listen." I say simply. I look up to the ceiling and sigh. "Don't worry, I only knocked him out. He's not dead by a long shot. Mother would never allow it."

With all the curious looks I'm getting, I feel like a freak show participant as the others come up to the bars of the cage.

"Ugg," Triky groans as he finally starts to stir.

"Oh look, the defiant walking disaster is awake again."

"Shut the fuck up, Novi."

"Oh go bang a hole in the wall, would you." I reply as I flip him off. "Probably the only good screw you're ever going to get."

The others in the room burst into peals of laughter. Paris and Strider come up to the bars. "Wow, she's a testy one, ain't she?"

Triky says with a heavy sigh. "Only if she doesn't have her favorite treat."

"Which you purposely 'forgot' to get me the last time you went shopping."

Strider laughs, reaching into his back pocket and pulling out said treat.

A nice sized box of Red Hots. My mouth starts to water and I can feel the agonizing pull of my addiction. Suddenly, I can feel the presence of a demon. I turn only to see Triky sitting down trying to coax a young demon into arms reach. Choosing to ignore the fact that my best friend has a death-by-demon fetish, I turn back to strider and my prize.

"Hey, uh, wanna make a deal?"

He's suspicious, but gives a short nod. "I'm listening."

"Those in exchange for me doing your chores."

"These?" He holds up the box and smirks. "Tell you what, be my slave for a week and we'll call it even."

Slave for a week? "For those Red Hots?"

His smirk widens. "Yeah." He says as he starts to tease me with the box.

I lick my lips and groan. "What exactly are we talking when it comes to being your slave?"

I hardly take notice that everyone is now watching us.

"Oh, nothing special, really. You have to do whatever I tell you to, that's all."

"Oh." My voice drops to a whisper. Do I really want those Red Hots that badly that I would resign to letting myself be a slave? "I see."

"Don't worry." He says as if sensing my defeat. "It doesn't include any kind of sexual favors. I'm married and the wife's an actual Harpy."

I have to cover my ears at the shrillness of Triky's voice. "Are you friggin' serious? A real-life Harpy with the whole wings and shit?"

"Not even a chance of throwing in a muzzel for my friend is there?" I ask, hopeful that no one noticed his flaming debut the way that I did. The room is quiet enough to hear a needle drop. "Too late now."

"Shit! Shit, shit, shit!" I can hear Triky's voice calling me, but my entire body goes numb as my powers finally subside, taking my health with them. "Novidia!" Soft arms catch me as I fall to the floor...

* * *

**Novi: _please don't hurt the author!_**

**Triky: _Ah hell, just use your jedi mind tricks on them._**

**Author: _now now, children. R&R everyone!_**


End file.
